Printing-machine.



H. L. REGK'ARD.

PRINTING MACHINE. APPLICATION IILD 00T. E. 1909.

974,9 1 7. Patented Nov. 8, 1910.l

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H. L. REGKARDJ PRINTING MACHINE. APPLIOATIOI YILBD 00125. 1909.

Patented No v.8, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WW 'I HENRY L. RECKARD, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

PBINTING-MACHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led October 5, 1909.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910. Serial No. 521,148.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. RECKARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, county of Hart-ford, State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Machines, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in printing machines, and has forits object to produce a machine for printing accurately upon rollers,and more particularly for printing de s upon rollers to be thereafterengrave and used themselves as printing surfaces.

Another object of myinvention is to provide means to insure the accurateplacing of an inked sheet upon the table of the machine.

A further object is to provide means for Supporting the weight of theroller as soon S it has made one complete revolution over an inked sheetplaced on the bed of the machine.

Another object of my invention is to pro- Vide a new and improved meansfor clampin the sheet to the bed of the machine.

The following is a description of an embodiment of my invention,reference being had' to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 shows a plan view of the machine embodying my invention withthe pressure devices removed; Fig. 2 is an end View of the machine;Figs. 3 and 4 are end and side views of a portion of a table; and, Fig.5 is a sectiona view of the clamping means and table.

Referring more particularly to the draw- 1-1 are side frames of themachine having V-shaped grooves 2*-2 at their upper-ends.

3 is a table or printing bed having runners 4 4 sliding in the rooves2-2.

5 is a shaft connected y bevel gearing to screw -shafts 6 6, whichengage screwthreaded projections 7-7 on the table, causing it to move inone direction or the other, according as the shaft 5 is rotated. Thetable 3 has side racks 8 secured thereto.

9 is a roller supported in movable bearin 10. Upon eac of these bearingsrests a esver 11 plvoted to the frame at 12 and on the outer end ofwhich are supported movable we' hts 13, thereby applying pressure to thero ler and causing it to exert a pres- Sure upon the table. Upon theshaft of the roller are gears 14 which engage t-he racks 8, causing theroller to revolve as the table is moved, and maintaining its axisparallel to the straight edge 28 at the end of the table.

At one edge of the table is a clamp consisting of a clamping bar 15secured thereto by screws 16. Beneath the bar are s rings 17 throughwhich the screws pass. s the screws are loosened, the springs 17 liftthe bar l5 and hold it supported so that the sheet to be clamped may beeasily placed therein or withdrawn, as desired. At the end of the tableare two supports 18-18. These supports have heads 19 which extendslightly over the surface of the table 3. These heads are each providedwith a beveled portion 20 `projecting over the bed or table 3 and aroller-supporting surface 21, which is parallel to the surface of thetable and begins at a plane vertical to the table and coinciding withthe edge 28. These supports are adjustable by means of the screws 22 andsecured by set nuts 23, and when properly adjusted have their flatsurfaces 21 exactly on a line with the lower edge of the trunnions 24 ofthe roller 9 as it rests upon the printing sheet and constitute supportsfor the rollers at the end of the travel of the table. The supportsslide in guides 25. The supports 18-18 also constitute stops for thepurpose hereafter explained. The beveled surfaces 20 are not supportingsurfaces butserve to prevent injury to the trunnions and the supports 18in case of improper adjustment of the supports.

In the operation of the machine, an inked sheet, usually a very thinengraved zinc sheet 26 (Fig. 4) is placed upon the table, a yieldingsurface, such as cardboard 27, being placed beneath the sheet so as toafford a cushion. The design on this zinc sheet extends to one edgethereof, which is cut off so as to be straight. The sheet is placed upont-he table so as to have its other edge extend underneath the clam 15and have its edge at which the des1gn terminates brought in closecontact with the vertical surfaces 18a of the stops 18. It is thus madeto register exactly w1th the edge 28 of the table which is parallel tothe axis of the roller 9. The backing 27 is made to register with theedge of the table in the same way. The clamp 15 is then adjusted so asto secure the sheet and backing in position and pressure applied to thetrunnions of the roller 9 so as to cause it to contact with the sheet,it being otherwise raised therefrom by the springs 29. The shaft 5 isthen actuated so as to cause the table to move under the roller. Whenthe roller reaches the end of the design, the parts being soproportioned usually that it will pass to the end from the beginning ofthe design in one revolution, the trunnions 24 engage the beginning ofthe supporting surfaces 21 of the support 18. At the instant, therefore,the roller leaves the sheet upon the table, it is supported by t-liesupports 18 beneath its trunnions. The result is that the roller exertsa uniform pressure upon the sheet during-its whole progress thereover,and that when the end of the design is reached the roller is preventedfrom moving downward so as to make any part o f its periphery engage thesheet or the table, and thus prevent any blurring or smudging of thedesign as printed upon the roller. The inclined surfac 2() engage thetrunnions in case the supports are a trifie high and gradually lift themto the level of the surfaces 21. The adjustment, however, should be suchthat the surfaces 20 are not brought into lay. They must not engage t-heroller to 1i t it before it reaches the end of the design to be printedon the roller. By this machine the sheet can be accurately placed uponthe table and the ink from the sheet transferred to the roller Withoutdanger of injuring any part of the design as printed upon the roller.

The machine is simple and accurate and obviates ver;r seriousdiiiculties in accomplishing results desired.

What I claim is:

1. In a printing machine, the combination of a printing bed, a rollerthereon, said printing bed having an exposed straight edge parallel tothe axis of said roller, and sup orts having supporting surfaces for sairoller extending beyond said bed and beginning at a plane passin throughsaid edge and vertical to the sur ace of the bed at said edge, said bedbeing adapted to reoeive a printing plate having an exposed edgeregistering with said exposed straight edge and means for clamping theopposite edge of said printing plate to said bed.

2. In a printing machine, the combination of a, printing bed, a rollerthereon, said printing bed having a straight edge parallel to the axisof said roller and vertically adjustable supports havin supportingsurfaces for said roller para lel to said bed and beginning at a planepassing through said alge and vertical with the surface of said 3. In aprintin machine, the combination of a printing be a roller thereonhaving trunnions, said printing bed having an exposed straight edgeparallel to the axis of said roller, and supports having supportingsurfaces adapted to' engage said trunnions,

said supporting surfaces extending beyond said bed and beginning at aplane passing through said edge and vertical to the surface of said bedat said edge, said bed being adapted to receive a printing plate havingan exposed edge registering with said exposed straight edge and meansfor clamping the opposite edge of said printing plate to said bed.

4. In a printing machine, the combination of a printing bed having aprinting surface thereon, a roller engaging said printing surface, saidbed having a straight edge at its finishing end and adjustable supportshaving supporting surfaces for said roller beginning at said straightedge and extending beyond said bed and vertical stop surfaces in linewith said straight edge.

5. In a printing machine, the combination of a printing bed having aplane surface and an exposed straight edge, a printing sheet on saidsurface having an exposed edge registering with said exposed edge ofsaid bed, a roller having its axis parallel to said edges and adapted tocontact with said printing sheet on said surface, a clamping bar havinga portion extendin over both said plane surface and said printing sheetat the edge opposite the exposed edge of said sheet and adapted to clampsaid sheet between said plane surface and the portion of the barextending over said plane surface and securing devices for said bar.

6. In a printing machine, the combination of a printing bed, a rollerthereon, said printing bed having an exposed straight edge parallel tothe axis of said roller, and stops having the stop-faces in line withsaid edge, said stops being spaced so as to permit the aage of theroller between them, said bed ing adapted to receive a. printing sheetengaging said stops and having an exposed edge registering with saidexposed straight edge, and means for clamping the opposite edge of saidprinting sheet to said bed.

7. In a printin machine, the combination of a printing be having a planesurface, a printing sheet on said surface, a roller adapted to contactwith Said printing sheet on said surface, a clamping bar having aportion extending over portions of both said printing sheet and saidplane surface and adapted to clamp said sheet between said plane surfaceand the portion extending over said plane surface, securing devicespassing through said bar, and springs located beneath said bar andsurrounding said securing devices so as to tend to raise said bar whensaid securing devices are loosened.

8. In a printing machine, the combination of a printing bed having aplane surface, a printing sheet on said surface, aroller adapted tocontact with said printing sheet on said surface, a clamping bar havinga portion extending over portions of both said printin sheet and saidplane surface and adapte to clamp said sheet between Said plane surfaceand the portion extending over said plane surface, screws passingthrough said bar and into said bed, and springs surrounding said screwsbeneath said bar and extending into said bed so as to tend to raise saidbar when said screws are loosened.

9. In a printing machine, the combination of a println bed adapted tohold a printing sheet, a rol er bearing upon said printing bed, meansfor applying pressure to said roller, supports at one edge of saidprinting bed having projections extending over the edge of said bed, anda clamping bar parallel to said edge of said printing bed and the facesof said supports adjacent thereto, said bar having means for securn itto said bed7 and springs tending to ralse said bar when said securingmeans are loosened.

HENRY L. RECKARD.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. LORENZ, W. H. HoNIss.

